SWANSEA CITY skipper Jason Smith insists the latest unpaid wages dispute to hit the Vetch will not be a potentially fatal distraction for the players. The Swans - just one point above the Division Three drop zone - are fighting to preserve their Football League status.

But their cause has been sidetracked this week with revelations that non-playing staff - including director of football Brian Flynn and his No 2 Kevin Reeves - had not been paid their February wages.

And Swans midfielder Paul Reid, in an interview with The Western Mail yesterday, revealed he too had not been paid with the club blaming an administrative error for the delay.

"It's not nice when you don't get paid, but all the lads here are focused on the job in hand which is getting enough points to stay up," said Smith.

"I don't know the exact situation at the club and I don't really want to comment on it. But I will say this - once players get onto the pitch all they think about is playing the game and winning it.

"We don't let the financial matters affect us. What happens off the pitch is of no concern to us when we prepare for matches.

"No one here is thinking about relegation. We're desperate to avoid finishing in the bottom two and we'll make sure we're not one of the two teams that goes down in May."

The Swans directors said a processing problem at the bank led to the payments - already delayed last Friday - not being made on Wednesday as expected, but those wages were due to be paid yesterday.

This is not the first time the cash-strapped Third Division club have been caught in a wage row.

Last season, when controversial businessman Tony Petty owned the Swans, wages weren't paid resulting in a Football League transfer embargo.

"Football is our profession and you want to get paid for plying your profession," added Smith.

"But this happened at the club last year and we didn't let it affect us then. Even though we weren't getting paid, we remained focused and we got enough points to stay out of trouble."

Flynn's men visit the English Riviera tomorrow to take on promotion-chasing Torquay United at Plainmoor.

The Devon side, managed by former Merthyr Tydfil boss Leroy Rosenior, are just one point behind third-placed

Bournemouth, who occupy the last automatic promotion spot.

After a good spell that delivered 13 points from a possible 18, the Swans have hit a sticky patch in the last fortnight, losing one and drawing two of their last three matches.

And centre-back Smith, in his fifth year at the Vetch, has demanded an improvement on their last two away performances which brought respective 3-0 defeats at Bournemouth and Hartlepool.

"I know we've drawn our last two home games (against Wrexham and Boston United) 0-0, but we played well enough in both. We didn't get that little bit of luck you need," said Smith.

"The boss (Flynn) has changed the personnel in the side quite a bit and brought in players like Leon Britton, Roberto Martinez and Kevin Nugent.

"We are looking a decent team now. Our home form has been very good recently, but we need to start picking up points away from home."